On a mid-March day, I chose to hike the Mission Beaches route.      there are several trails that go out to the river, but I usually start at the west end, then go along the rivershore heading east.   The usual route is to go around (or between) the islands and  back for a loop route of about 3.5 km.    I went through some sandy side trails through the scrub forests for a while before going back to the shoreline.    It was a cloudy-sunny day with light breezes.    the airport right across the river was busy with a variety of aircraft taking off and landing.    There were dog-walkers out and a pre-school group enjoying the beaches.

There is an old almost-buried vehicle in the widest part of the beach.   Most of the route is just hiking on the sand.    It is firmest by the edge of the river.    Seagulls and eagles were out, dispersing as I approached and landing in a new spot.

This is a scenic spot which is best suited when the winds are from the west (to avoid the smell from the mill ponds).     An album of photos (with captions) from the hike are shared here in a Google Photos Album – Mission Beaches Hike (link).

A slideshow of the images (without captions) is also provided here:

We will be back to hike this area before the river rises too much.